FNU Dental Grad Returns After Almost Three Decades

One of life’s most peculiar occurrences is how we get taken full-circle, back to our beginnings. As is the case for Ricardo Sanchez, an FNU graduate who has been a proud Conquistador for almost 3 decades. The Ecuadorian native enrolled at what was then Florida National College in 1989, just a few years after our founding. With aspirations of being a Dental Technician, Ricardo graduated 3 years later with his certification in Crown and Bridge and Porcelain. Since then, he has worked in-field as a Dental Technician, mastering his craft and gaining experience along the way. But with the non-stop progress of technology, Ricardo realized that he couldn’t afford to get left behind. Now, he’s back at FNU pursuing another certification, this time in Full and Partial Dentures.

“I came back to school because I wanted to keep learning and stay updated with the current dental technology. If you love your profession, you’ll always want to keep moving forward.”

FNU has come a long way since Ricardo first enrolled. He has extremely fond memories of the humble beginnings of the University he calls his second home: “I started at the Training Center on 12th Avenue in Hialeah. I remember taking my son to a daycare so I can go study because he was just born. Now he’s 27 years old. Now, seeing the new building and comparing FNU to what I remember from the 1990s is eye-opening. I’m so happy to see FNU continue to grow and help the community.”

Ricardo is now working at Leal Medical Center, an HMO Clinic located in Homestead. Before finishing the interview, we asked Ricardo what were his lasting impressions of FNU after such a long tenure with us. He left us with a smile and these kind regards: ” It’s super. Everyone pays close attention to you. Mauricio Restrepo is an amazing professor. I’ve known him for 30 years. He saw my kids being born and I saw his. I would recommend FNU without a doubt. When I started it was a College and I got to see it change to a university. I love studying at FNU, that’s why I came back. It’s like home.”

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